this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 8: the brexit party leader, nigel farage, says he is not going to stand as a candidate in the general election. do i find a seat, try and get myself into parliament, or do i serve the cause better, traversing the length and breadth of the united kingdom, supporting 600 candidates? i've decided that the latter course is the right one. the government confirms the benefits freeze introduced by the conservatives three years ago will end next april. income tax will rise for the top 5% of earners and there'll be increases to corporation tax under a labour government, according to shadow chancellor john mcdonnell. 33 people have been injured in a coach crash in france. 11 of them are british. delhi's toxic smog forces airports to cancel flights. the city's chief minister says the air has become unbearable.

lewis hamilton is hoping to secure his sixth formula one world title in the us grand prix. he's currently racing in austin, texas, and needs four points to win the championship. and coming up, molly russell's father travels to the us to meet tech giants instagram, and find out how his daughter's death has changed social media. good evening. welcome to bbc news. the leader of the brexit party, nigel farage, has announced he won't be standing as a candidate in the coming general election. he says he'll focus instead on touring the country to support his party's candidates. it comes days after his offer of an electoral pact with the conservatives was rejected by borisjohnson.

here's our political correspondent nick eardley. love him or hate him, nigel farage has been a key face in british politics for years. it's like sponsored drinking! there might be fewer pints these days, more chats with us presidents instead, but after years of trying, seven elections to be precise, he will not be standing to be an mp this time. i don't want to be in politics for the rest of my life. do i find a seat, try to get myself into parliament, or do i serve the cause better traversing the length and breadth of the united kingdom, supporting 600 candidates? and i have decided that the latter course is the right one. so you will not stand yourself? no, very difficult to do both. not that he is disappearing. after borisjohnson rejected his offer of a pro brexit pact, he is stepping up his attacks on the government's deal. it does not get us out of anything, it does not work on any level, it is a gigantic con. we should not sell out to this, it is a remainers‘ brexit, it is virtually worse than staying where we are and if we go

through this route, we will finish up rejoining. does it matter? some think the brexit party standing could split the pro—leave vote, allowing labour through the middle, like happened here in peterborough. the only way to end this indecision and uncertainty and move on to focus on what they want is to vote for a majority conservative government that, yes, is going to get brexit done in a matter of weeks but also has an exciting and inclusive agenda. the brexit party are gunning for labour votes, too. jeremy corbyn had this to say on mr farage‘s decision not to stand. it is obviously his decision. it's a bit weird to lead a political party that is apparently contesting all, or most of the seats in the election, and he himself is not offering himself for election. he is obviously very comfortable on his mep salary. nigel farage still wants to be part of the brexit debate, but in this election, that does not mean standing. the government has confirmed it will end the freeze on increases

to benefits next year. ministers say universal credit and other welfare payments will rise in line with inflation from april, and the state pension will increase by 3.9%. labour called it a "cynically—timed announcement" in the run up to next month's election. so what has the freeze meant to people on benefits? since the benefit freeze was introduced in 2016, 7 million families have lost on average £560 a year. that's more than £2,200 that they've had to do without over that period. ending the freeze won't restore that money, but if you're on job seeker‘s allowance, for example, you will see your weekly payment increase by £1.24, from £73.10 to £74.34. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan has more. karl wilkes has been on universal credit for the past two years. the 57—year—old has struggled to find work since being made redundant and has to get by on little more than £200 a month. he doesn't think the extra money

he will get next year will make much difference. 0k, they might uncap it, so they might give you an extra £5 a month. but within three or four weeks of them altering that, you will get letters from your rent, and you will get letters from your council tax, saying, this is going up £3 a month, that is going up £2 a month. so, they have got the fiver back off you. the benefit freeze has seen most welfare payments for people of working age stay at the same level as they were in 2015 rather than rising with inflation. while confirming the policy will end next april, ministers again emphasised their belief that work was the surest route out of poverty. one of the key things we want to do is make sure people work their way out of poverty unless they cannot work, and there is a key difference, and that is part of what our philosophy with the universal credit is, that you will be better off in work than if you do not work, unless you cannot work. being in work is no guarantee

of not being in poor. there are four million families who have a job but live in poverty. labour says the announcement, at the start of an election campaign, is cynically timed and have emphasised that the freeze will continue for several more months. meanwhile, the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has been setting out his plans to upgrade almost 27 million homes in the uk to make them more energy—efficient. the work would include installing loft insulation and double glazing, at an estimated cost of around £60 billion. the conservatives say the plans don't stack up. 0ur deputy political editor, john pienaar, has been giving us more details about the parties‘ pledges. parties generally save their big expensive promises until well into the campaign. this campaign has in truth been running for weeks and months and today we have seen a kind of supermarket sweep of expensive promises, many of them with questions of credibility or affordability hanging over them or both.

borisjohnson, his promise to end the freeze on benefits is on top of a promise to pump billions into schools and hospitals. this is to end austerity. austerity he was happy to support as an mp and cabinet minister for so long and the tories are also promising to cut taxes. we do not know the scale or timing of that. jeremy corbyn was never going to be outbid by a conservative party when it comes to public spending, but his promises are also on top of a massive renationalisation programme, with an effect on the pound, on markets, on the cost of borrowing that we cannot know or calculate at this stage. so it is an election unlike any we have seen and the voters are notjust making a big choice here, they are taking a big gamble. the scottish conservative mp ross thomson is to stand down after being accused of sexually assaulting a labour mp in a house of commons bar. mr thomson says he's made the hardest decision of his life not to contest the seat for aberdeen south at the general election,

and denies any wrongdoing. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the parliamentaryjournalist tony grew, and the journalist and author caroline frost. 11 british people are reported to have been injured in a bus crash in northern france. the british embassy in france said the vehicle was travelling from paris to london. police say it toppled over taking a motorway exit. in all, 33 people were injured, four of them seriously. a mass has been taking place in a catholic vietnamese church in london to remember the 39 people who were found dead in a refrigerated lorry in essex ten days ago. police have not confirmed the individual identities of the victims, but believe they were all from vietnam. 0ur correspondent chi chi izundu was at the service. they gathered to remember.

this mass started with a short video of the removal of the trailer with the 39 bodies inside. a minute's silence followed. if the service was led by the bishop of westminster who offered prayers for the victims, their relatives and the emergency services. i suggested that we pray as well for the traffickers themselves. they might have a change of heart. i did say that i do think human trafficking is an abominable crime which needs to be eradicated. this community is following news of this investigation closely. it is a community in mourning as it is believed some members possibly related to those victims found in that trailer two weeks ago may have attended today's mass. the parish priest, father simon, confirmed some families in the uk and vietnam have contacted him with information to help identify their loved ones, and he has passed that onto the police. so far, i have got eight people, and i have two more tomorrow,

i will see the police and give more information about these people. there is a reluctance in this community to speak out. an escape from vietnam by boat meant witnessing the deaths of those trying to make the same journey, according to this woman. why did we have to leave vietnam? because we want freedom and to have many things. essex police believe they may have identified families for some of the victims and have been in contact with relatives both in the uk and vietnam. they say they are still conducting their investigation which is spanning many jurisdictions across the world. dozens of flights to the indian capital, delhi, have been diverted because of poor visibility caused by toxic smog. schools are closed and a public health emergency is in place in a city that's home to 20 million people. pratiksha ghildial has sent this report. delhi is choking.

people here are breathing the city's most toxic air in years, with pollution levels more than 20 times their safe limit. the problem returns here every winter but many are saying that this is the worst they have experienced. protesters gathered outside the prime minister's house demanding a basic right, clean air. they believe there isn't the political will to find a solution. you can obviously see how terrible it is and it is actually scary, you can't see things in front of you. patients are coming with more lung respiratory diseases, more affected with asthma. one major source of the pollution is stubble burning. farmers in delhi's neighbouring states say they do not have the modern machinery they need to clear their fields without setting them alight so the smoke from their fires drifts over the city,

where it stays for days on end. but the worst sufferers are people who work on the streets, like traffic police, tuk tuk drivers and the homeless. india's government says it is doing what it can. it has banned construction activities, is limiting the number of cars on the road, and has asked for schools to remain shut for a few days. but despite the public health emergency, no long—term solution seems to be in sight. there is virtually no sunlight in delhi today due to the thick layer of smog hanging over the city. here on the streets, it is particularly difficult to breathe, and i can feel an itch in my throat. it is a huge concern for residents with studies showing that the pollution is causing high levels of is causing higher levels of lung cancer and premature deaths. a 36—year—old man has died and three people have been hurt after a car drove

into a pub in colchester. a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. the 40—year—old is also being held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as death by dangerous driving and assault. jenny kirk reports. tyre tracks across the pavement leading to this, the smoking area of the spinnaker inn. a group of people were here just before 1am when the car crashed through the fence. one man aged 36 was killed, another left with life changing injuries, and two others were taken to hospital as well. all we heard was a massive bang. but because of it being halloween and guy fawkes, we put it down to fireworks, went back to sleep, it was a very busy pub, locals go to it, especially on a sunday, it is very popular on a saturday night, so whilst there were a couple of casualties,

it could have been a lot worse. people were out to parties which is why it wasn't packed out. there was a closure for seven hours this morning and police are urging anyone who saw a white nissan car before the crash to contact them along with anyone else in the public area at the time who they have not yet spoken to. the shop next door to the pub has a number of cctv cameras and when i went inside they were replaying the footage of one of the ones up here. they showed the aftermath of the scene with the emergency services arriving and a number of people already standing around. this is a very residential area and this was a very loud noise so police are hopeful that there will be a number of witnesses who can help with the investigation. at least four people have been injured in a knife attack at a shopping centre in hong kong. it happpened as riot police confronted pro—democracy demonstrators in another weekend of protests. local reports say the attacker had been arguing over politics

before taking out a knife. he also attacked a district councillor, biting off part of his ear. the bbc‘s stephen mcdonell reports from hong kong. a political argument in a hong kong shopping centre has led to violent clashes. a man who spoke mandarin chinese reportedly slashed several people with a knife before attacking a pro—democracy district councillor. andrew chu, who is standing again in this month's district council elections, had part of his ear bitten off by the man who was then subdued by a crowd of onlookers who proceeded to bash him, some using metal objects. riot police stormed the shopping mall to arrest protesters who had earlier gathered to sing and chant. a small group of hardcore activists also smashed up shops whose owners they perceive to be pro—beijing in their outlook. the headlines on bbc news... the brexit party leader, nigel farage, says he is not going to stand as a candidate in the general election.

the government confirms the benefits freeze introduced by the conservatives three years ago will end next april. income tax will rise for the top 5% of earners and there'll be increases to corporation tax, under a labour government, according to shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. hello richard. thank you. lewis hamilton is on the verge of winning his sixth formula one world title. he's in third place at the moment at the us grand prix...which would easily be good enough for him to claim the title. hamilton started fifth on the grid with the only many on the grid with the only man who can stop him today on pole — his mercedes team—mate valterri bottas leading the race. but hamilton needs to finish in the top eight to be certain of claiming the title. there were some distressing scenes at goodison park in the premier league where there was a horrific injury to everton‘s andre gomes.

everton and spurs drew the game one all. joe lynskey reports. even the premier league superstars are only human. everything's ijust seen his team—mate suffer a horrific leg injury. this match had finished ina leg injury. this match had finished in a drawer, and truth the score line was a sideshow. the spurs had not went away in the league since january. they started this match in 13th place. but with delle ali opener, they hope their season was kick—starting. like a steam, his personal form has been kick—starting. like a steam, his personalform has been slow kick—starting. like a steam, his personal form has been slow to get going. the england midfielder then almost gave away a penalty. it took the va are 0fficials three minutes to decide this wasn't handball. but $0011 to decide this wasn't handball. but soon the argument was put in perspective, every ten supports against midfielder andre gomez fell to the ground, goodison park and 0utlook. there were these first

players involved. a red card for the south korean almost felt like a mercy. the time it took gomez to safely leave the field gave every 1012 extra minutes to find a goal. it came at the last through this. but with what had just happened, he and the stadium had a new priorities. those who saw it up close need every comfort. that moment, a very difficult moment for our club that moment, a very difficult moment for ourclub in our that moment, a very difficult moment for our club in our dressing room group. but we have to be strong and they will be strong and we will be strongerfor they will be strong and we will be stronger for sure. with all of the support, we become stronger and i'll do you know his quality as a professional and he is a fantastic lad. everybody love some of this football clu b lad. everybody love some of this football club and we will become strong after this serious injury. —— everybody loves him. i don't have

any doubts about this. all the support we give to him as a group and club will be big. he will take time and we will have him again. we wish them all the best with this recovery. leicester city have moved up to third in the premier league table after they beat crystal palace 2—0 at selhurst park. brendan rodgers picked the same side that beat southampton 9—nil in their last league game. it was goaless at half—time, but the foxes took the lead from a corner inside the hour mark. caglar soyuncu with a header and jamie vardy, his tenth goal of the season, were the goal—scorers. rangers are through to the final of the scottish league cup after they beat hearts at hampden park. filip helander scored the first goal of the game just before half—time. alfredo morelos added a second early in the second half, before sealing the victory with his second of the game here to make it 3—0. rangers will face their glasgow rivals celtic in next month's final. it's been a great day

for british hockey. both the men's and the women's teams have qualified for next year's olympic games in tokyo. they did it by winning the second legs of their qualifying matches today. the men beat malaysia. whilst the women comfortably beat chile 5—1. it means that they will now defend the olympic title they won in rio at the tokyo games next year. lewis hamilton is leading the us grand prix with just 16 laps ago. good luck to him. that's all the sport for now. thank you. the family of a man who died in the croydon tram crash say they are calling for a change in the law — after investigators said the driver would not face prosecution for manslaughter. seven people were killed and 51 injured when the tram derailed. simonjones reports. the tram was travelling at almost four times the line speed limit when overturned. investigators concluded the most likely explanation is that the driver fell asleep

shortly before the derailment, but he will not face prosecution for gross negligence manslaughter. philip logan's family is dismayed. he will not face charges. the last three years that myself, my family and the other families, and the survivors, have been through hell over nearly the last three years, and i am disgusted with the result we have got. the crown prosecution service said there was no compelling evidence that the driver had done anything which he ought to have known could adversely affect its concentration or make him susceptible to falling asleep. other charges were considered but causing death by dangerous driving only applies to roads and public places and the offence of endangering the safety of person on a tramway does not exist like it does for railways. the family have set up a petition calling for change. the laws have got to change so that no one else, no other family has to go through what we have all gone

through in the last few years. it will not bring my grandad back but it protects someone else‘s family, that is all we can hope for. aslef said the driver was also one of the many victims in this terrible incident caused by lack of adequate safety systems. transport for london says improvements have been made. the people of south africa continue to celebrate yesterday's rugby world cup final victory. the springboks — once an all—white team and symbol of the country's deep racial divisions — is now a truly multi—racial team, and is captained for the first time by a black player, siya kolise. 0ur africa correspondent andrew harding reports now from kolise‘s home, the township of zwide, in port elizabeth. port elizabeth, the heartland of black rugby in south africa. after yesterday's celebrations, they are either clearing up the mess, or still hard at it.

still drinking? obviously, in the morning! still celebrating? a block away, on the street where siya kolisi grew up, his old neighbours have composed a song for the first black rugby captain. it is inspiring these dirty streets, inspiring the country, inspiring the continent. kolisi's younger brother agreed to show us inside the humble family's home and the floor on which they used to sleep. i would sleep here when i got home from school. so it was a poor family? yes, poor, very poor. it is still a tough life for many black south africans here, half of young people are unemployed. and at siya kolisi's old rugby club, children dreaming of following in his footsteps still turn up hungry. it's still a challenge when it comes to equality.

for black players, of course. struggling with facilities, and a lack of nutrition. it is tempting to exaggerate the impact of sport on any society, but south africa is a young democracy, still finding its feet, and badly in need of the sort of inspiration that nelson mandela once provided. so this victory really does matter here. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. a professional musician, who left his rare violin worth a quarter of £1 million on a train, has been reunited with the instrument. stephen morris said a young man handed the violin back in a late night meeting in a supermarket car park in south london. tara welsh has the story.

it was made in 1709. mozart wasn't even thought of. bach was in his 20s. a 310—year—old violin, but just last week stephen feared it was gone forever. he left it on an 0rpington bound train after a long day. a violin is one of the closest instruments to the human voice. it is your voice as a violinist so it is strange to have that taken away. he was desperate to find it and made an appeal on this programme. if you have it, hand it in. it would be extremely difficult to sell. the story went viral on social media. i have had messages from new york, australia, everywhere. and then came a breakthrough. the first thing was a tweet saying, i know somebody who knows somebody who knows where your violin is,

please give me your phone number, and at this point i was thinking, it could be a hoax, but maybe it might be right, and i had a chat, and it turned out, i was pretty sure that it was the guy. the man agreed to meet stephen in this waitrose car park in beckenham and, after 10pm, this is where the violin was returned. i saw him coming towards me, and he just had this lovely big smile on his face, and was clearlyjust very happy to be bringing it back. we shook hands, had a warm conversation, he said he was sorry he had put me through so much stress. and on future journeys, stephen will not be letting go of his violin. astronauts on board the international space station will soon have the chance to test their baking skills.

an oven and the baking ingredients needed to make chocolate chip cookies are being delivered to the iss. the scientific experiment will observe what affect the weightless conditions will have on the shape and consistency of the biscuits. rob in my ear says they will be star bakers. lumberjacks from across the globe have been competing at the world timbersports championship. the contest features a series of tests, including the use of axes and chainsaws to get through logs as quickly as possible. keep an eye on the man in the green and yellow shirt — he's brayden meyer from australia — and he chopped his way to the title, showing off his skills in several lumber—related disciplines. he even showed his mastery of this — the springboard event — where competitors have to cut notches into a trunk to support planks, so they can climb to the top before cutting through.

i think he still had all of his fingers left. now it's time for a look at the weather. good evening. a pretty unsubtle start for november so far. we've had afair bit start for november so far. we've had a fair bit of rain and strong winds. we still have low pressure with us over the next 24 hours so it is a slow—moving area of low pressure with showers rotating it though the rest of the eve become heavy showers in the southwest pushing northwest across england and wales and the odd rumble of thunder. also some heavy rainfor rumble of thunder. also some heavy rain for eastern scotland through tonight. it should be frost free with temperatures around five to 10 degrees. tomorrow, eastern scotland keeps heavy persistent rain and some flooding issues here come away from there, sunny spells and scattered showers. most of the showers will be across parts of southern and southwestern england in the odd heavy one with thunder. some sunshine for northern ireland in

such a part of england and temperatures ten to 13 degrees. tuesday, the winds turned to northerly directions and things start to turn colder in the north and wanted to showers for eastern england and top temperatures around seven to 13 degrees. goodbye for 110w.

hello, this is bbc news with martine croxall. the headlines: the brexit party leader, nigel farage, says he is not going to stand as a candidate in the general election. do i find a seat, try and get myself into parliament, or do i serve the cause better traversing the length and breadth of the united kingdom supporting 600 candidates? i've decided that the latter course is the right one. the government confirms the benefits freeze introduced by the conservatives three years ago will end next april. income tax will rise for the top 5% of earners